Chapter Thirteen

"It's close to his heart, dangerously close." The white ghost gasped as they backed away and bit their lips hard.

"Oh fuck." Sanji murmured glaring at the injury.

Nami gulped, covering her mouth with her hand and backing away too not wanting to believe her ears.

"It's not supposed to be this quick, that's what I don't understand." They said to the Straw Hat pirates, frowning slightly. " My brief fight with Zoro on the deck gave me a feel of his condition. I knew then that it was pretty bad which confused me too. It's too quick, and the scratch wasn't even that fatal."

The white ghost looked at Nami." How exactly did you treat his wounds, I want a whole description of the story. "

" Well I just gave him the basics treatment, clean the wound sew it up and bandage. "She began to explain dragging a hand roughly through her long tangerine hair." But then he caught a fever, he was so hot and I managed well tried to manage to cool him down a bit. But then his injury became as cold as ice and Zoro complained about intense pain so I -"

" Don't tell me you warmed the area. "The white ghost cut her off

" Well, yes,-"

The white ghost groaned pulling a hand down their face in annoyance and slight panic.

" Is-is that bad?" Luffy asked

"Bad? It's terrible!" The white ghost screamed." The poison gets effective in warm or hot conditions that why your nerves automatically tries to slow down the flow off the poison by getting the wound cold. Yes, the intense pain is caused by poison either not moving or moving too slowly. You were meant to do nothing, you've almost killed your comrade Nami! "

" Well what was I supposed to do! It's not like I have any knowledge on this infection! " Nami retorted in panic taking in a deep breath." I just did what I thought was right for my friend, I would never hurt Zoro. Never! "

" Guys pipe down," Zoro cut off their argument with a frown." Arguing about this right now won't automatically solve it for us, none of us knew exactly what was going on so its not any of our fault."

" Right now we should focus on getting Zoro better, so let's do that okay? "Luffy added." No fighting. "

The white ghost took deep breaths, rubbing their white brows and thinking rationally. Zoro had about an hour and some minutes to live and the herb takes about approximately one hour to brew. Which meant, if they didn't get the poison out of him in the very few minutes remaining, Zoro would be nothing but a decayed corpse and their agreement would be nullified.

"Okay, I'm going to make this clear." The white ghost announced. " I can't do this alone, not with the few time we have left. This potion needs an hour to brew properly so here's what we are going to do. When I call for help, if you hesitate that's a minute gone from saving your comrades life. When I say you do something, you do it without complaint! And no questions asked, it might look messy in the beginning but I am asking for patience and trust. Just trust me and the process. "

" Trust is earned, white ghost, that a lot you are asking from us. "Usopp commented finally finding his voice to speak up.

The white ghost glared at him." I'm not asking to forever trust in me, I am asking you to believe I can save your friend, do that very least. And my name is not white ghost, I hate that title anyway so don't call me that. "

The white ghost turned to their satchel and pulled out a small surgical set.

" What shall we call you then, we need to address you as something. " Zoro asked looking at them as they moved to him again holding a tiny paintbrush that they had dipped in a small ink container in their satchel.

The white ghost spared him a quick glance before returning their gaze back to his chest. They gently marked for an incision around the wound and right beside the almost sprouting veins." Mjolnir. My name is Mjolnir."

"Mjolnir....." Luffy awed with a distant smile. " That's a unique name."

"Too unique, I've heard a lot of names but never have I ever heard that kind before." Sanji added craning his neck at Mjolnir suspiciously.

" It's... ancient. " Was all the white ghost could tell them, shrugging nonchalantly." My father said the name came naturally the moment he laid his eyes on me. So what can I say, it's stuck ever since. "

" What's the meaning of the name. " Nami questioned earning a look from Mjolnir. The white ghost didn't think that the tangerine haired pirate would like to know anything about them, much less their origin or meaningful of name. But Nami was curious. She wanted to know ever single thing about the mysterious swordsmasters who suddenly appeared and made an name for themselves. She wanted to crack open that wall that no one had, she wanted to truly know of the very existence that was the stranger in their kitchen , treating her friend.

"The crusher, don't ask." Mjolnir shrugged backing away from Zoro when they had finished." That's that for now"

Zoro hummed staring in curiousity at what she had lightly drawn over his chest. He moved his hands to lightly touch at the wound but stopped midway when the pain of that last time registered in his mind. "What's all this you drew."

"I need to make an incision, so that just the markings for where I will open up." Mjolnir answered placing the ink back into the surgical bag and begun pulling out surgical knifes.

"Wait so you seriously going to recut his skin?" Usopp asked with a horrid look on his face.

"Don't be a big baby, we've seen worse injuries in our lifetime as pirates." Nami rolled her eyes

"Yeah this is different." He shook his head. " I'm sorry but I'll be out of here by the time the extraction process or whatever begins."

" Suit yourself." Mjolnir said absentmindedly as they concentrated on wiping down the surgical materials with a clean cloth dipped in anesthetic liquid.

"Mjolnir, before the medicine brew and the process start, I would like to know how you have so much knowledge on how to treat the wounds cause by the Kuyutha and how to kill the Kuyutha." Sanji spoke up, leaning against the cabinet and observing Mjolnir with keen eyes, maybe trying to get a reaction out of them.

"Yeah,it's strange don't you think?" Nami added craning her neck and crossing her arms around her chest. " I don't think anyone has ever seen or heard of a strange new sea creature this deadly lurking our waters. But yet here you are, with perfect detailed knowledge on them. "

Luffy narrowed his eyes towards his teammates. He knew of Sanji and Nami's way of squeezing out information someone. It wasn't that excessive, but it could get quite heated sometimes, heated enough for a fight to break out.

Mjolnir stopped what they were doing, turning those cold steely blue eyes towards the pair." I've been fighting them since I was six."

" Six? That long"Usopp exclaimed.

" W-wait six? "Luffy gaped." Hold on doesn't that mean that the creatures has been in existence for a long time. "

Mjolnir chuckled." Yes it has, before I was even born. "

" How old are you exactly? " Sanji asked studying Mjolnir more carefully. The white ghost didn't look lower or higher than their age group. With such soft features and young skin they didn't look so much more that twenty five.

The white ghost let out another low chuckle, going back to cleaning off the knifes." You won't believe me if I told you. "

"Come on, it can't be that bad." Sanji chuckled.

Mjolnir rose a brow, a small smile making a way on their lips." I'm fifty-two years old. "

Everyone froze, eyes wide and mouth hanging open as they all gaped at the young looking individual. The white ghost chuckled staring back at them with nonchalance.

"That's bullshit!" Nami conceded

"Fifty two year old? That is like..." Luffy stuttered running his hand through his hair. " That's like being alive when Roger D Gol was still around."

Mjolnir but their lips looking away with a bitter chuckle. " I don't age easily, but I'm being biased on how much longer I can stay before I begin to wilt, but I guess it can take a pretty long time. "

" Whoa, that is crazy. "Usopp murmured rubbing his eyes. He seemed tired and just completely weared out, being one of the most sensitive comrade in the ship amd coming from the type of family home he originated from.

"Too crazy." Nami added.

"You said you were fighting since you were six. How did you manage to keep it under wraps, I mean being alone and all." Zoro questioned not wanting to dwell on the fact the strange individual in front of him was old enough to be his birth mother.

"Who said I was alone." Mjolnir cocked a brow.

"You weren't?" Luffy craned his neck. "Wait you have a crew?"

Mjolnir's mouth twitched involuntary at luffy's question, eyes hardening. They would rather love to avoid answering the questions they tried so hard to ward off of their mind." Well, I had a crew." They chuckled remorsefully. " Unfortunately for them....they got wiped out by the Kuyutha during one ambush. I'm the only survivor..... or I think I'm the only survivor. I haven't seen anyone since then."

Everyone fell silent as they stared at the white ghost. Nami who had thought felt complete hatred towards the assassin actually felt pity. She knew how it felt for someone to lose people they loved. She never truly knew her real parents but the people who took her in was everything to her. She lost them to the that idiot fishmen crew, but all she has left is the Straw Hats.

Luffy chewed on his lips examining the white ghost. He never really knew his father or even know if he had any siblings. But the Straw Hats were his family now and he would go crazy if he were to lose anyone of them." I'm sorry..... about your crew. "

The white ghost shot him a sour look and bluntly said." Why? You don't know them and you all seem to very much dislike me. Let's keep the condolences to ourselves."

"But still-" Zoro added. "Losing a crew is like losing a part of you. Losing someone important can take a toll, we all have experienced that."

The white ghost eyed his expression to realize his sincere care for their story." Yeah well, I've moved on-"

"No one can truly ever move on from that-" Usopp interrupted.

"I'm not talking about this." They slammed their hand on the counter shutting him up. " I'm not here to save your friends life so that we can sit and chat about reminiscing the old days! I want my deal-"

"Right, straight to business is it." Nami interjected. "Fine then,what is it that you want Mjolnir. "

" Your cooperation and allegiance. "Mjolnir wasted no time in replying.

" What? "Sanji questioned.

" On a normal note dealing with the Kuyutha is an easy task. I know when and where they spawn giving me two steps ahead in blowing up their breeding space to bits and killing them for the season. But..... they got smarter. They...they evolved, and this time they are ten steps ahead of me."

" It takes a year for the Kuyutha to breed and hatch, and at those periods I hunt out their breeding grounds and kill them before they can hatch up. They usually focus on one place at a time to increase defense so the females lay their eggs, but now they scattered themselves across the sea and many islands. And I can find them all and kill them in one year..... Not by myself that is. "

" So you expect us to help you? "Nami added.

" Yes. "

" Your insane! "Usopp exclaimed.

" Am I? "They scoffed." I drive a fair bargain."

Nami let out a roar of laughter the spread through the room." You must be crazy because if you think that we are going to go anywhere near those creatures again you have lost all your shit!" She jerked a finger towards Zoro." Look at what it did to Zoro! Do you think we're going to risk another one of us to some lost cause! It's suicide! "

" Lost cause?" Mjolnir finally retaliated furiously." Let me make this more clearer, my crew died trying to eradicate these monsters so that you all could be here today living your merry pirate life's! We risked our lives everyday, died protecting everyone so they would have a life when we didn't!"

" You can't just expect us to-" Sanji begun

" Yes! Sanji." They cut him off." I expect you to do all that! You said it yourself, they are dangerous, just look at Zoro. One little slash of their bone claw will kill you in the slowest and painful way possible. I am the only last person who knows of the Kuyutha existence, and now you. But I am the only one with the knowledge of how to extract the poison. I can't be everywhere around the world at once to treat those who have come in contact with them. People are dying because I'm alone I'm this. I have no support. "

" Do you expect me to save your friends life and then leave the others to suffer a ghastly fate? "They chuckled." I don't think so, that wouldn't be so fair mow would it."

" You bitch. "Nami snarled.

" Call me names all you want. I have reached to my conditions." Mjolnir declared." Your cooperation for your friends life."

"You can't do this to us!" Luffy said.

"I'm sorry Luffy, you seem like a great guy." Mjolnir sighed. "But if you can't help to save the lives of so many people, children women and men, then your crap about being different kinds of pirates is full of shit! There is no physician who can find a cure except me, and even if they do in time thousands of people will end up dead. "

They faced them fully and solemnly." Your decision today carries the fate of everyone life with so I suggest that you think wisely. If you truly are the Straw Hats, them I'm sure you know your answer."

" I won't lie, I can't do this without you. You're my only hope and I do trust you with this secret." They continued." It's your choice, yes, we will get hurt, but it's for the life of everyone. Sanji for your old man's restaurant, Luffy for Shanks and his crew, Nami for you sister and who ever that survived in your village, Usopp for Kaya, Zoro for your home. All those peoples lives depend on your decision. So I suggest you choose wisely. "

" You have until the medicine brew to make up your minds. "They nodded at them." I'll be outside. "